Cavaliers playoff spot remain in limbo following loss to Raptors

Cleveland Cavaliers maintain razor-thin lead in standings after loss

The Cleveland Cavaliers barely clings on to the sixth spot in the standings after conceding a 117-104 loss to the seventh-placed Toronto Raptors. Fortunately, the Cavs still hold the head-to-head advantage thanks to winning their previous three matchups.

Despite securing a victory up north being of paramount importance for the young Cavaliers, the team came out flat and trailed for nearly three and a half quarters against a rejuvenated Pascal Siakam-led Toronto squad.

With All-Star big man and primary defensive anchor Jarrett Allen still out with a broken finger, Cleveland once again struggled on that end of the floor, giving up at least 101 points in each of their past nine assignments.

Allen’s fellow All-Star Darius Garland once again struggled to find his shot but still managed to tally a double-double of 18 points and a game-high 17 dimes.

Lauri Markkanen led the team in scoring with 20 while Kevin Love, who slotted into the starting lineup for only the third time this season, added 12 points and 10 boards in the loss.

Cavs need wins to hold on to sixth place and avoid the play-in

Cleveland’s defensive effort once again left a lot to be desired, especially after allowing the Raptors’ star forward Siakam to erupt for a game-high 35 points off 6-for-7 shooting from deep.

Lamar Stevens stepped up offensively for the Cavs, chipping in with 16 markers of his own, but needs to do a better job collectively with fellow ‘Junkyard Dawg’ Isaac Okoro on containing the opposing team’s best player. First, LeBron James, and now Siakam.

Whether or not Allen’s broken finger can heal up in time and allow him to rejoin the team sometime within the nine remaining games is vital to the Cavaliers’ postseason aspirations, as a couple more losses could see them fall into the 7th-10th positions and out of a guaranteed playoff seed.

A matchup with equally struggling division rivals Chicago Bulls on March 26 would be another must-win game for the Cleveland Cavaliers if they are to secure that final spot.